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Baseball

Six-Run First Dooms Cardinal

 Final 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9   R   H  E 
Stanford (19-20)  1 0 0 0  0  0 0 1 0  2  7 2 
UCLA (23-19-1)  6 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 X  7 10  1
Los Angeles | Jackie Robinson Stadium
Pitching
Win: James Kaprielian (6-4)
Loss: Cal Quantrill (3-5)
Save: Nick Kern (3)
Batting
Danny Diekroeger - 2-3, 2B
Austin Slater - 2-4, 2B, RBI
 

LOS ANGELES -- UCLA quickly erased a 1-0 deficit with six runs in the first frame, as the Bruins rode out a 7-2 victory Friday night at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

Cal Quantrill (3-5) allowed the initial six runs, before settling in for five innings pitched. He finished the day with eight hits allowed, including seven before registering three outs, a walk and four strikeouts. The Bruins sprayed the ball around the outfield in the first, but Quantrill changed his fortune by hitting his spots more consistently to put up zeros in the next four frames.

Stanford (19-20, 7-12 Pac-12) had spotted Quantrill a 1-0 lead thanks to an Austin Slater RBI double in the opening half inning. Alex Blandino walked with two outs and Danny Diekroeger lined a single over the UCLA second baseman Luke Persico’s head to set the table for Slater.

After Brian Carroll struck out swinging to lead off the bottom of the first, the Bruins rattled off four straight hits, capped by a triple from Persico. The three-bagger soared over the head of Slater in center field to make it 3-0. Quantrill then sat down Christoph Bono on strikes, but a double, walk and two more singles gave the Bruins their 6-1 cushion.

UCLA (23-19-1) starter James Kaprielian’s next 5.2 innings went quietly for the Cardinal. The sophomore walked four and struck out 10 on his way to his sixth win of the year.

The Cardinal did bring the tying run to the on-deck circle in the eighth after cutting the lead to 6-2. Zach Hoffpauir singled home Diekroeger prior to Stanford’s 13 punch out ended the threat.

Slater added his team-best 15th multi-hit game, while moving his hitting streak to three games. Tommy Edman pushed his career-long hitting streak to 10 games with a seventh-inning single.

Stanford got through the sixth, seventh and eighth innings with Griffin Weir, Tyler Thorne and Daniel Starwalt on the mound. Weir and Thorne worked scoreless halves. Starwalt allowed one run on a single, sac bunt and another single in the eighth.

UCLA hosts the Cardinal for two more games over the next two days. Tomorrow’s 7 p.m. start will be aired live on ESPNU. The channel will also have Stanford’s softball team taking on UCLA at 3 p.m. and the Cardinal men’s volleyball squad in the national championship against Loyola Chicago at 5 p.m.